About NWSUBPEP

Who are we?

The Northwest Suburban Peace & Education Project formed in the spring of 2004. We are people that live and work in the northwest suburbs. Many of us have or had children in the public schools. As parents and community members we are concerned about the role of the military in our schools.

Through our personal connections we have gained access to several local high schools. We set up a table in the commons area during the lunch periods and talk to the students about their options. Our purpose is not to talk the students out of joining the military. We are not anti-military. We simply want to make sure that our young people have thought through what they are doing. At the same time, we engage the students in discussions about what is going on in the world; the role of the United States in world affairs. We believe the strength of a democracy lies in all its citizens actively engaged in what's going on.

Meeting Time & Place

We meet the 2nd Monday of the month at the South Church, 501 South Emerson in Mount Prospect at 7:00 PM. We invite you to join us!

Our Vision/Philosophy

We are committed to promoting non-violent methods of conflict resolution, and believe in directing our resources into life-affirming activities. We believe, ultimately, that war and violence are not necessary.

Our Mission

Our mission is two-fold: educate all youth about peaceful options for serving their country, finding adventure, financing education and job training; educate and empower all youth with information about the reality of military life and the military's unfulfilled promises and deceptions.

Our History

It was 2003 and our government was pounding the drumbeats of war. Would we invade Iraq? The tension in the air was palpable. At the same time my son was coming home from school upset about the presence of military recruiters at the high school. They had always been there but it was the juxtaposition of the recruiters and the drumbeat of war that he found particularly disturbing. They were capitalizing on the student's anger about 9/11 to recruit them into the military. He wanted us to do something.

And so eventually we did. The following year, 2004, a few of us gathered together and decided to approach the schools with the intention of presenting the other side. They said yes, and we've been going to District 214 schools ever since.

About District 214

Township District 214 is the second largest high school district in Illinois. Six high schools serve about 280,000 people in the communities of Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Prospect Heights, Mt. Prospect and DesPlaines. The total enrollment is about 12,000 students.